My Father the Hunter

by B. R. Yanney
(Athens PA)

My dad strapped me to his back when I was 6 months old and took me rabbit hunting. I dont remember but my mother told me . That was 65'. We moved to Alaska in 69'. We hunted rabbits, grouse, ducks. moose, bear etc.He taught me to shoot and fish. He told me once when we were hunting that the forrest was his church , and if there was a god this is where he lived.In september of 79 I got my first big game animal ,a black bear,"That is a whole story onto itself". In 1980 we moved back to PA. In 81 I got my first doe with his 30-06, I think that was the most proud moment of my live. I dragged it back to the truck. I could tell how happy he was. In 82 I got shot at and quit hunting. My father begged me to go back hunting with him. Noveber 27 1990 he was hunting with my uncles, he was telling my uncle about the buck he got the day before. He fell dead right in the forrest -his church. When they told me I was in the drive way I ran right through 2 doors and fell in the back yard, with my hole family holding me down.He was only 52.He was old school and I was a long haired metal head.Some-how I think we drifted apart over the last few years of his life, I always thought we would re-connect after I grew older, but I never had that chance. Fast forward to 95. My uncle had bought a 250+ acre farm, so now I had some place safe to hunt. A friend had recently taught me to shot a bow.My uncle built a tree stand where he had seen deer coming out on the edge of a field.A 4 pointer came out and I was able to arrow him at 30 + yards.I could feal my fathers spirt with me. I followed the blood trail, I remember looking down the field and seeing that buck. I ran down to him with tears in my eyes.I got down to him and with my bow in hand I screamed to the sky like some kind of mad-man, FATHER ! FATHER ! are you proud of me now! I was re-born that day. I know he was only a 4 pointer but he is my most sacred memory, I keep his antlers on the wall just like he is pope @ young buck. My sons never got to met him. In 07 I watched my oldest son arrow his first buck.We got out of the tree and I saw the awesome shot my son had made"he only ran 20 yards" Well I was jumping up and down teering up. The things he taught me , I passed onto my sons.Once again I could feal my fathers spirt with us!